Global| Jul 28 2009Gasoline Prices Stabilize With The Rise In Crude Oil Costs
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Signs that the worst of the downtrend in the U.S. economy may have passed helped stabilize the earlier weakness in the oil market. The pump price for regular gasoline increased last week to an average $2.50 per gallon, though that [...]
Signs that the worst of the downtrend in the U.S. economy may have passed helped stabilize the earlier weakness in the oil market. The pump price for regular gasoline increased last week to an average $2.50 per gallon, though that still was down nineteen cents from last month's high. The increase added to the eighty cent (55%) rise from the December low. At $1.87 per gallon in the cash market, gasoline prices yesterday continued to rally off the early-July low of $1.60. The figures are reported by the U.S. Department of Energy and can be found in Haver's WEEKLY & DAILY databases.
Crude oil prices also recovered last week. Light sweet crude oil prices (WTI) increased to $64.99 per barrel, up $3.72 from the low. Yesterday the spot market price for light sweet crude oil recovered further to $68.38 per barrel. Prices had reached a daily high of $72.68 earlier in July.
Natural gas prices rose slightly for the second week. Last week's average price of $3.49 per mmbtu (-64.8% y/y) was down by three-quarters from the high reached in early-July of last year of $13.19/mmbtu.
Financial Stress: What Is It, How Can It Be Measured, and Why Does It Matter? from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City can be found here.
| Weekly Prices | 07/27/09 | 07/20/09 | Y/Y | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Regular Gasoline ($ per Gallon, Regular) | 2.50 | 2.46 | -36.7% | 3.25 | 2.80 | 2.57 |
| Light Sweet Crude Oil, WTI ($ per bbl.) | 64.99 | 61.27 | -48.5% | 100.16 | 72.25 | 66.12 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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